For musicians, the journey from conservatory training to the professional stage can be lined with challenges and limitations. However, the Honeywell Arts Academy, based in Wabash, is paving the way for emerging musicians to push through their boundaries and break into their creative curiosity.
For three weeks in June, Wabash will be bustling with a symphony of sound as the Honeywell Arts Academy welcomes some of the world's most talented up-and-coming musical artists. These musicians will gather to immerse themselves in an experiential learning program like no other, comprised of group performances, entrepreneurial development fine-tuning, and more.
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The Honeywell Arts Academy welcomes talented musical artists to immerse themselves in an experiential learning program like no other, comprised of group performances, entrepreneurial development fine-tuning, and more.Nestled under the umbrella of Honeywell Arts & Entertainment, the Academy provides a platform for musicians to break free from traditional genre constraints and explore their art forms. The Honeywell Arts Academy is comprised of three full-scholarship institutes for emerging musicians, led by GRAMMY-winning Artistic Director
Ranaan Meyer of the trio “
Time for Three” and world-renowned faculty. The mission of the Academy is to foster an inclusive and supportive environment where ideas are free-flowing between all. This creates a revolving door of expertise, a philosophy the Academy refers to as the “sharing of knowledge.” The Academy is designed to provide the future generation of musicians the opportunity to learn from one another, push boundaries, and connect with both local and industry communities, with faculty to propel their artistry forward and springboard their careers.
“Since my group,
Time For Three, started, I always felt there was a need for musicians who were trained in conservatories on a classical and jazz level to have an opportunity to be really creative within their art forms where it didn't necessarily have to stay within the genre,” says Ranaan.
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The Honeywell Arts Academy welcomes talented musical artists to immerse themselves in an experiential learning program like no other, comprised of group performances, entrepreneurial development fine-tuning, and more.Founded in 2020, the Academy is an expansion of the Wabass Institute, a music program established in 2008 for double bassists. Meyer and double bass colleagues Hal Robinson of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Eric Larson of the Houston Symphony envisioned a week-long summer camp for double bassists, where their instrument was the focus. While on tour with Time for Three, Ranaan described this idea to an arts advocate and Wabash native
Richard Ford. A week-long institute where faculty mentors spend time with fellowship scholars and are accessible tuition-free. In 2008, Meyer founded Wabass Institute, a full-scholarship program for double-bassists. After an intensive application process, selected scholars traveled to Wabash to collaborate and innovate with Meyer, Robinson, and Larson. The "sharing of knowledge" philosophy was born, a knowledge exchange for anyone open to giving and receiving.
In 2014 after Ford’s passing, Wabass Institute and its philosophy lived on with the stewardship of Ford’s legacy. The program’s success led to its expansion in 2021 as it became Honeywell Arts Academy, expanding the “sharing of knowledge” by adding two more
institutes: Soundboard Institute for Pianists and Resonance Institute for emerging entrepreneurial musicians.
While these artists are top of their league in their perspective instruments from a technical standpoint, much of the educational aspects come from participating in peer-to-peer interactions alongside the world-class faculty.
“We’re getting these musicians to come through when they are at the precipice of exploding into the professional musical world, which means there is much to share,” says Meyer.
He continues to explain that fellowship scholars come to the institute at their 9590th hour, in reference to the
“10,000th-hour” rule, an ideology coined by Malcolm Gladwell, who says, “Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness. You need to have practiced, to have apprenticed, for ten thousand hours before you get good.”
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The Honeywell Arts Academy is an expansion of the Wabass Institute, a music program established in 2008 for double bassists.“What makes it unique is that every program is curated by two or more professional and experienced faculty mentors, so it’s impossible for any sort of hierarchy to happen,” says Meyer. “We’re creating the democracy.”
The basis of the experiential knowledge-sharing ideology is to create an environment in which scholars can openly express, exchange, and even challenge their own ideas and build upon the notion of treating one another as colleagues instead of competitors.
“I attended Wabass in the summer of 2014, right before starting my senior year at Julliard,” says Talia Horvitz 2014 Wabass alumni. “That summer turned out to be one of the most profound experiences in my studying career. I was so happy to find a place where I could focus solely on improving my playing and musicianship with the help of incredible teachers, Ranaan, Hal, and Eric, who became great mentors to me.”
“Wabass was a reminder that high artistry doesn’t have to come at the exclusion of good citizenship,” says 2019 Wabass alumni, Yoshiaki Horiguchi.
With the Wabass Institute having a 95 percent job placement success rate, the Honeywell Arts Academy is constantly and continuously working at sourcing and creating additional opportunities for its alumni.
“I think one of the most interesting things that we have found is that the groups stay in touch with each other and that the relationships and collaborations formed here have continued even after they leave the Academy,” President and CEO of Honeywell Arts and Entertainment Tod Minnich says. “We really focus on how we can further support their careers. We've had a number of fellowship scholars return to perform on concert series here at Honeywell or even at donor events in other communities.”
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The Honeywell Arts Academy welcomes talented musical artists to immerse themselves in an experiential learning program like no other, comprised of group performances, entrepreneurial development fine-tuning, and more.In addition to performance opportunities, a sector of the program is also dedicated to healing arts or music therapy. Ranaan explains that scholars spend time at Parkview Health system and play for patients and their loved ones as well as hospital staff.
“It creates a sense of a musical ambassador role to take with them as they evolve as people whether or not they choose to designate a portion of their career to healing arts,” he says. “It’s a great catalyst to drive them into whatever their generous mission will be as an artist long term.”
While scholars spend time at the Honeywell Arts Academy experimenting and learning with one another, they are also part-time members of the Wabash community. Coming from all over the country and even the world, experiencing small-town midwestern life is among many firsts for them.
“You'll see them at our local coffee shop, in restaurants, on the walking trails,” says Cathy Gatchel, Chief Development Officer of Honeywell Arts and Entertainment. “And it's just a really amazing infusion of talent and energy in Wabash.”
As the Honeywell Arts Academy continues to evolve, it vows to stay firmly rooted in the heart of Wabash and remain a beacon of creativity and artistic growth.
“Most of the time when we're making an important decision, Richard Ford is still weighing in,” says Ranaan. “We actually will ask, ‘Would Richard like this idea?’ I'm a loyalist and a believer in legacy, and I admire Richard's legacy so much that I decided the Academy has to be in Wabash for the rest of the time.”
Looking into the future, the Honeywell Arts Academy hopes to continue partnering with other organizations and offering even more avenues for patrons and donors alike to participate and experience the magic created within its walls.
“We’re evolving into that festival atmosphere and leaning into the expansion and evolution of what we can do within the community,” says Ranaan. “There’s a lot more integration going on this year, and people can come to the performances and experience that.”
Gatchel says she believes it’s just something you must see for yourself and encourages everyone to visit and witness the remarkable talent and passion these musicians bring to the Wabash community.
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Artist performing as part of the Honeywell Arts Academy.“There's nothing quite like seeing a procession of nine or ten-string double bass players walking down the street together as they get to practice with their giant instruments! It's just a really lively and joyful experience,” says Gatchel.
Honeywell Arts Academy takes place at the Eagles Theatre in Wabash, Indiana. Each week culminates with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for concertgoers, a meet and greet reception where the audience members can mingle with the rising star fellowship scholars and faculty mentors. Public institute performances will take place starting in June in Wabash. Wabass Live at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 16 at the Honeywell Center, Soundboard Live at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 23, at the Eagles Theatre, and Resonance Live at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 30 at the Eagles Theatre.
To learn more or find events by
the Honeywell Arts Academy, click here.
This article was made possible through a partnership with the Honeywell Foundation.